The Town of
Cottage City
United in Diversity
Community Resources
The Cottage City Green Team works together with neighbors to make our town greener and healthier. Below are some options to try out.
Annual Dueling Creek Clean Ups
The historic Dueling Creek runs through Cottage City and is a stream home to wildlife. The Green Team sponsors periodic community clean-ups to keep the waterway pristine for residents and critters to enjoy.
Anacostia River and Anacostia Heritage Trails
The magnificent forest is filled with wildlife friends like deer. To get away from the hectic life and enjoy peace of nature this is the place to explore.
Community Parks
Cottage City has abundance of green spaces and parks to enjoy for residents and visitors of all ages.
Baywise Certification
The Green Team sponsors the Baywise Certification for homeowners who want to make their lawns more sustainable and gardens organic. The team’s goal is to certify 20 lawns. To learn more about getting your yard certified through Baywise contact Cottage City resident Anne Rivera at anner51@comcast.net.
The Cottage City Community Garden received the Baywise Certification for organic and sustainable practices.
Pet Waste Stations and Scoop that Poop
Did you know that disease and bacteria from your dog’s poop pollutes local streams making them unsafe? Stations are located throughout our town and are equipped with doggie bags and disposal bins for you to use on your dog walks. These help our community be healthier and cleaner.
Big Belly Trash Cans
These cans are located throughout the town and aren’t just any normal trash cans, they’re a more sustainable option. They have a built-in compactor to make space for more trash, have solar panels to provide energy and a way to communicate with (the trash company) when it is full and needs to be emptied.
Solar Energy
Cottage City installed solar panels on the town hall collecting energy from the sun to power their energy needs. Cottage City's Green Team is partnering with Utility Advisor to bring Community Solar energy to your home from the Monarch Solar Farm in Upper Marlboro. With Community Solar you get all the environmental benefits without the costs or hassle of installing solar panels. Available for home owners and renters. Plus you will save 10% on your monthly energy bill. To learn more or sign up, visit JoinCommunity.Solar/CottageCity
Electric Car Charging Stations
If you own an electric car that needs a charge, you’re in luck. At the town hall parking lot are two electric charging stations. These stations are free for anyone to use! The town was recently able to upgrade the Code Enforcement vehicle to a brand new all electric vehicle.
Little Free Library
Our Little Library is located at the town hall. It's free for everyone to use. Stop by to pick one up a book or drop one off. To learn more about the Free Libraries, click here.
Dumpster Weekends
Twice a year residents can throw away large items at the town sponsored Dumpster Weekends. Look for the spring and fall dates and plan to clean out your basements and garages. Workshops on how to reduce, reuse and recycle are also available to residents. All services are free to residents and located at the town hall parking lot.
Free Food Giveaways
The town periodically sponsors healthy food giveaways during economic hard times. We have also launched an emergency fund to help economically disadvantaged residents struggling with the fallout from coronavirus. To learn more about giveaways and COVID-19 Fund see the Cottage City website.
Youth Involvement Programs
Healthy communities involve youth, Cottage City is no exception. Every month there are ways to include youth in planning town activities like the annual Port Towns Day, Cottage City Day, food giveaways, and holidays parties. Community service hours are available to all students involved. We are united in our diversity. Our Cottage City Police Explorer's were recognized for their outstanding service during the pandemic. They received an award for their assistance in several COVID-19 vaccination events.
Tree Canopy Committee
The Tree Canopy Committee has 4 members from the neighborhood: Ben Rockey-Harris, Barbara Klieforth, Bill Kopecky and Denise Hamler. These volunteers bring a wealth of knowledge to help preserve our tree canopy. We are blessed with many healthy mature trees and newly planted trees along our streets and in our yards. The Tree Canopy Inventory will assist the town in protecting and replanting trees suffering from disease, weather damage and invasive vines.
The results show we have a healthy and diverse array of trees, so as you walk our streets notice all the beautiful variety of maples, oaks, myrtles, cherries and plums.
Appreciation to the Chesapeake Bay Trust Urban Trees Grant for resources to replant trees in Cottage City.
Join the Cottage City Community Garden
Since 2010, the garden has served as a quiet, peaceful gathering place providing organic food to the community members. It has become a friendly place to meet to learn how to garden and prepare fresh food and have fun together. The garden uses a composting system and has installed beehives. The beehives provide residents with local honey.
Stop by and check us out at 4222 Cottage Terrace, we are open from sunrise to sunset. To see what is planned or how to reserve a place to garden or get tasty recipes visit www.cottagecitygarden.com.
Learn more about what’s new at the Cottage City Community Garden!
We are producing honey from the two beehives. Below is a video highlighting our first honey harvest workshop!
Rain Gardens and Bioretention Area
This bioretention area is located at the town hall and is a giant rain garden and is used to catch runoff stormwater from the parking lot.
Rain gardens catch rainwater and improve the water quality by removing chemicals, nutrients, and other sediments. This improves the water quality in nearby bodies of water and provides clean water to plants. Rain gardens are filled with native plants and serves as a pollinator garden.
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Throughout the town properties and Cottage City Community Garden we are harvesting rainwater, installing rain barrels and building/maintaining rain gardens to assist with stormwater management. Major stormwater infrastructures are being rebuilt to address street and basement flooding.
The Green Team encourages you to plant a rain garden, to learn how, visit County/State Resources.
